Baked Butter Beans with Vegetables

Peel the chickpeas, sauté the grated onions in the oil and add the tomato, salt and pepper. Then, add the chickpeas, the quantity of water needed and let them simmer. Cut the aubergines in slices. Flour  and then fry them. Put the fried aubergines in the food a little while before it is cooked, so that they will be boiled together for a while.

Put the octopus and the vinegar in a pan. Pour as much water as needed so as the octopus is fully covered and let it boil for an hour. Put the lentils and the onions in another pan. Add 3 cups of water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain the octopus and let it cool. Remove its slimy skin and cut in pieces. Pour the lentils with their broth into an ovenproof utensil. Spread the pieces of octopus over the lentils. Add the rice, the fresh spring onion, the tomato, the peppers, salt and black pepper. Pour the oil and mix gently. Bake to 180 degrees for 40 minutes or until the rice swells and remains only the oil.

Gerontissa Gabrielia (Gavrielia) was born in Constantinople more than a hundred years ago on October 15, 1897 to Helias and Victoria Papayanni and was the fourth and last child of the family. She grew up in Constantinople until her family moved to Thessaloniki in 1923. She went to England in 1938 and stayed there throughout the Second World War. She trained as a chiropodist and physiotherapist. In England they honored her for her services during the war and after.